Abstract: The Dave Van de Mark Photograph Collection is a visual documentation of many areas
that became Redwood National Park in 1968, and many of the areas that were included in the Park Expansion in
1978. The lower Redwood Creek watershed is the focus of this collection. The pre and post logging conditions are
explicitly shown in these images. Within the collection there are some photographs of the surrounding areas in
Humboldt and Del Norte counties which put the core part of the collection in a broader geographic context. Mr.
Van de Mark's purpose was to generate support for creating the park and later, with even more determination, to
heighten public awareness for the need to expand the park. Nearly all of the photos were taken by Dave Van de
Mark. The collection provides documentation of the disturbed landscapes whose rehabilitation was authorized by
Congress in the Redwood National Park Expansion Act (PL 95-250). Additionally, there are three taped interviews
with Mr. Van de Mark; one in 1999 and two in 2006. Transcripts for the 2006 interviews are included in this
collection.

Collection is open for research by appointment only. Contact the Cultural Resources Branch of the Redwood
National and State Parks.

Publication Rights

Copyright has been assigned to the Redwood National Park of the National Park Service. All requests for permission to publish
or quote
from manuscripts must be submitted to the Cultural Resources Branch. Copyright restrictions also apply to
digital representations of the original materials.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Dave Van de Mark Photograph Collection, REDW 17722, Redwood National and State
Parks, National Park Service.

Humboldt State University Library - Humboldt County Collection, Pamphlet: "Redwood National Park" (contains
information about Citizens for A Redwood National Park and about the Emerald Creek Committee)

Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley - Sierra Club Collections:

Original and copy cassette tapes and DVD of oral history interviews conducted in 1999 and 2006 are stored
with other Redwood National Park audio/visual materials.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public
access catalog.

Redwood National and State Parks (Calif.)

United States. National Park Service

National parks and reserves

Humboldt County (Calif.)

Del Norte County (Calif.)

American forestry

California conservation organizations

Citizens for a Redwood National Park

Forestry

Industrial forest management

Old growth forest conservation

Sierra Club

Simpson Timber Company

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation

Arcata Redwood Company

Lumbering--California

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Dave Van de Mark initiated communication with Redwood National Park about donating his collection in 1984.
Several park employees were already familiar with the collection and its informational value from having used
parts of it for planning and management purposes. Between 1984 and when the collection was officially donated
in 1988, Van de Mark worked on bringing related parts of the collection together and making notations about
dates and locations.

Dave Van de Mark moved to Humboldt County as a young college student in early summer of 1963. He took a summer
job in one of the local sawmills and then enrolled in Humboldt State University (then Humboldt State College).
He soon became aware of the effort to build public support for creating a Redwood National Park and joined the
Sierra Club to work toward that end. Out of necessity, he became the photographer for the park proponents. He
was self-taught in both photography and the developing process.

He was an early member, board member (1966) and then president of the Citizens for a Redwood National Park
(CRNP), an Arcata based group whose goal was to be a clear voice of North Coast park proponents, to provide
substantive information on the park issue, and to promote park legislation that would benefit the local
communities. Sierra Club representatives assisted with the formation of the CNRP but the two organizations were
independent from one another, though there was some overlapping membership. (A card file containing member's
names and addresses was lost in the 2001 fire that destroyed the Northcoast Environmental Center.)

Once the Redwood National Park was created it became apparent to Mr. Van de Mark and many others that the
ongoing logging on Redwood Creek upstream and upslope of the new park was endangering the wellbeing of the park
areas, especially the Tall Trees Grove. Dave and many other activists then became involved in a long struggle to
expand the park by including more of the Redwood Creek watershed. Dave was employed by the Sierra Club as a
Conservation Department Assistant from June 1968 until mid 1970.

Dave was one of a handful of individuals who led educational excursions into the affected areas. A wide variety
of persons went on these excursions, including a significant number of public officials from all levels of
government. In the Oral History interviews included in this collection Dave shared memories conveying the energy,
urgency, and flavor of the park advocacy activities in that era. The photos he took during this time show the
extent of the logging and its impact on the watershed. Many of these photographs were used in materials
published by conservation organizations and by news publications. Van de Mark's photos were central to educating
legislators and the general public about conditions within and surrounding the park. He was certainly one of the
central figures in the effort.

Van de Mark's comments in a 1984 letter to the RNP Superintendent about the collection shed some light on the
level of effort and commitment the expansion proponents exerted:

"Literally thousands of miles of hiking (no trails mainly); dozens of boat trips down Redwood Creek;
perhaps three dozen or more aerial reconnaissance flights; and over 90,000 auto miles were logged in this
effort. Of course all the land was private and 'hostile' then. Almost all activities involved secrecy and
trespassing (Oh, are there some funny stories I can tell!)...."

"When a crisis needing documentation came up or the time allowed, you did it...."

In 1976 Mr. Van de Mark gave an impassioned statement before the Conservation, Energy, and Natural Conservation
Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations. In it he mentions the key issues that prompted him, and
thousands of other citizens, to push for an expansion of the Park. A copy of this testimony is attached (as a
PDF file) in Appendix A.

More biographical information about Dave Van de Mark and his advocacy activities can be found in the
transcripts of the two 2006 oral history interviews conducted in conjunction with the processing of this
collection. An additional interview, recorded in 1999, is available in audio format, only.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Dave Van de Mark Photograph Collection is a visual documentation of many areas that became Redwood National
Park in 1968, and many of the areas that were included in the Park Expansion in 1978. The lower Redwood Creek
watershed is the focus of this collection and the on-the-ground pre and post logging conditions are explicitly
shown. Additional photographs of the surrounding areas in Humboldt and Del Norte counties put the core of the
collection in a broader context. Mr. Van de Mark's purpose was to support the efforts to create the park and,
with even more determination, to heighten public awareness of the need for the expansion. Nearly all of the
photos were taken by Dave Van de Mark. The collection provides documentation of disturbed landscapes whose
rehabilitation was authorized by Congress in the 1978 Redwood National Park Expansion Act (PL 95-250).

The portions of Redwood Creek between the mouth at the Pacific Ocean and the upper boundary of the expanded
park comprise the majority of the collection. Other areas covered include Arcata, Humboldt Bay, Mad River, Maple
Creek, and some areas of Del Norte County.

Van de Mark, quoting his friend Maynard Munger, started using the phrase "Emerald Mile" to describe a
particularly beautiful stretch of Redwood Creek. Immediately it became a rallying cry during both park
campaigns. The "mile" is along Redwood Creek near the mouth of Harry Weir Creek and near the Tall Trees. Many
park expansion proponents called the Harry Weir Creek, Emerald Creek. An Emerald Creek Committee was formed,
made up largely but not exclusively of students from Humboldt State University, and environmentalists from the
community. (Dave worked in close alliance with the Emerald Creek Committee though he wasn't active in organizing
or maintaining the group.) Between 1968 and 1978 the park boundaries, when drawn on a map, made a thin curving
line along Redwood Creek; thus the area was called "the worm". These terms are found in notes relating to the
photographs in this collection.

Arrangement

Black and white photographic negatives (most are 35mm or 4x5); color negatives, slides, contact sheets,
original envelopes, and oral histories make up the collection.

Dave Van de Mark's date based numbering system is used. A roll with the number 651129 was taken November 29,
1965. Sometimes Mr. Van de Mark did not record the exact day, and on a few occasions the month was not noted
either. 00 is used in place of the day and/or month in these instances. A roll with the number 650900 was taken
sometime in September 1965. A roll with the number 650000 was taken sometime in 1965. Images with no number
whatsoever (about 320) are included after those with a date number. On most days more than one roll of film was
shot and comments are provided for each roll's contents.

Throughout the Container List the "Description", "Notes", and in the list of the original envelopes the "DVM's
remarks" sections convey a wide variety of detail about the location, the event going on, names of persons
present, and what Mr. Van de Mark was intending to document with the image. This information greatly enriches
the collection. There are distinctions between these terms: "Description" indicates information written on the
archival envelopes the negatives were in when the final processing got underway in 2005. "Notes" indicates
information supplied by the persons who processed the materials. "DVM's remarks" is used for the handwritten
information that is on the original envelopes.

Most images are black and white. For the small percentage of that are in color they are noted as "color" in the
Container List. All of the slides are in color.

Information in the Container List was compiled by Carolyn S. McClurkan and by Drogheda NiFaolain using notes by
Dave Van de Mark.

The container list provides:

Date number

Roll number

Title for a roll or rolls

Description (usually geographic location)

Number of images for that roll

Number of Negatives

Contact Sheet

Number of Photo Prints

Notes relevant to that group of images

Container List

The negatives (Boxes 1-3), which are predominantly black and white, are housed separately from the contact
sheets, prints and affiliated notes (Boxes 4-7). They are 6x6 mm, 2.25 inch and a small number of differing
sizes.

Box 1, Roll 1

650900 : Roll Group 1
Prairie Creek State Park, scenics1965 September

Physical Description:
9 images (negatives).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Along highway 101; along East Ridge Road; along Irving [Irvine]
Trail.

Notes: Numbers used in contact sheet annotations refer to clearcuts which
DVdM located and marked on a large map as a location key. The exact location of this map is unknown.
Possibly in the Sierra Club archives… [CSM].

Description: Logging by Georgia-Pacific Co. off their L-1-1 road during
1966-67; Some of G-P’s worst logging on slopes of Bond Creek.

Roll 2

Physical Description:
10 images (negatives).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Logging by Georgia-Pacific Co. off their L-1-1 road during
1966-67; Some of G-P’s worst logging on slopes of Bond Creek.

Roll 3

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives).

Box 2

680207 : Roll Group 1
Tour with Norman B. "Ike" Livermore, Administrator of California's Dept. of Resources; Guy Rusher
and Norman Robertson, Humboldt County Supervisors; and foresters, and a few conservationists during RNP
battle
1968 February 7

Notes: Photo print contains photographers statement on the condition of
land within the expansion area of the Park.

Box 3

760701 : Roll Group 1-6
Six Rivers Timber Management Plan1976 July 1

Note

Notes: This series extends from July 1 to July 4, 1976.

Roll 1

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 2

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 3

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 4

Physical Description:
13 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 5

Physical Description:
13 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 6

Physical Description:
14 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Taken on 760701 and 760702.

Box 3, Roll 7

760702 : Roll Group 7
Six Rivers Timber Management Plan1976 July 2

Physical Description:
14 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Taken on 760702 and 760703.

Box 3

760703 : Roll Group 8-10
Six Rivers Timber Management Plan1976 July 3

Roll 8

Physical Description:
13 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 9

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 10

Physical Description:
14 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Taken on 760703 and 760704.

Box 3

760704
Six Rivers Timber Management Plan1976 July 4

Roll 11

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 12

Physical Description:
14 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Box 3, Roll 1

760903 : Roll Group 1
Aerials1976 September 3

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Box 3

760930 : Roll Group 1-3
Aerials1976 September 30

Roll 1

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll 2

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, 2 contact sheets).

Note

Notes: 2 contact sheets of same images.

Roll 3

Physical Description:
15 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Box 3

760931 : Roll Group 1-3
Aerials1976 September 30

Roll [1]

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives).

Note

Notes: This one roll of negatives was marked 769031.1-3 The date is
obviously incorrect as there is no 90th month of the year. If one assumes that 09 was meant, there is
still difficulty as there are only 30 days in Sept.

Notes: Contact sheet is on page shared with roll 5. Two contact sheets of
same images.

Box 3

000000
Undated

Note

Notes: UNDATED: Rolls are arbitrarily numbered and may or may not have any
relationship to each other.

Roll [1]

Undated

Physical Description:
11 images (contact sheet).

Roll [2]

Undated

Physical Description:
11 images (contact sheet).

Roll [3]

Undated

Physical Description:
12 images (contact sheet).

Roll [4]

Undated

Physical Description:
1 image. (photo print).

Note

Notes: Orphaned print.

Roll [5]

Undated

Physical Description:
1 image. (photo print).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Wilderness forest, Redwood Creek.

Note

Notes: Orphaned print.

Roll [6]

Logging within 48,000 acre expansion area by Redwood National Park, Calif. Arcata Redwood
Company Land
Undated

Physical Description:
1 images (3 photo prints).

Scope and Content Note

Description: A road cut was put through this unstable soil in Devil’s Creek
which is along the south-western boundary of the 48.000 acre expansion area. Numerous resource experts
have warned that there is no economical, technological way to log this area without impacting the park.
In fact, the USGS has told us that Devil’s Creek, if logged, has more potential to damage the park then
any other area within Redwood Creek.

Note

Notes: Three prints of same image. Orphaned print.

Roll [7]

Undated

Physical Description:
9 images (negatives).

Note

Notes: color.

Roll [8]

Undated

Physical Description:
10 images (negatives).

Roll [9]

Undated

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll [10]

Undated

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll [11]

Redwood CreekUndated

Physical Description:
10 images (negatives).

Scope and Content Note

Description: View upstream from Elam Creek with spoiling patchcut.

Roll [12]

Undated

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives).

Note

Notes: Possibly associated with envelope number 160.

Roll [13]

Lost Man Creek - North ForkUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives).

Scope and Content Note

Description: photo trip on ground with Martin Litton.

Roll [14]

Lost Man Creek - North ForkUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives).

Scope and Content Note

Description: photo trip on ground with Martin Litton.

Note

Notes: Possibly associated with envelope number 162.

Roll [15]

Undated

Physical Description:
8 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll [16]

AerialsUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (2 contact sheets).

Note

Notes: Two contact sheets of same images, both numbered 1.

Roll [17]

AerialsUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (2 contact sheets).

Note

Notes: Two contact sheets of same images, both numbered 2.

Roll [18]

AerialsUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (2 contact sheets).

Note

Notes: Two contact sheets of same images, both numbered 3.

Roll [19]

AerialsUndated

Physical Description:
15 images (contact sheet).

Note

Notes: 2-1/4 x 1-5/8 in. negatives.

Roll [20]

AerialsUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (contact sheet).

Note

Notes: 2-1/4 x 1-5/8 in. negatives.

Roll [21]

Undated

Physical Description:
1 image. (photo print).

Note

Notes: Orphaned print.

Roll [22]

Undated

Physical Description:
1 images (2 photo prints).

Note

Notes: 2 prints of the same image; Orphaned print.

Roll [23]

AerialsUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (contact sheet).

Note

Notes: Found in 1973 binder, between 730611.2 and 730611.3.

Roll [24]

Aerials: Skunk Cabbage – large hole now visibleUndated

Physical Description:
4 images (negatives).

Roll [25]

Aerials: Skunk CabbageUndated

Physical Description:
10 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Note

Notes: color.

Roll [26]

Undated

Physical Description:
8 images (negatives).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Some aerials, some ground level.

Roll [27]

Aerials: Redwood CreekUndated

Physical Description:
4 images (negatives).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Miscellaneous.

Roll [28]

Aerials: Redwood CreekUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Scope and Content Note

Description: Taken in early winter after ARCO had started logging east
slope (should be verified if possible).

Roll [29]

Aerials: North Fork Lost Man CreekUndated

Physical Description:
12 images (negatives).

Roll [30]

Aerials: North Fork Lost Man CreekUndated

Physical Description:
11 images (negatives, contact sheet).

Roll [31]

Logging by Arco on Bald Hills Road; also North Fork Lost Man Creek aerialsUndated

The 4 x 5 negatives, contact print sheets, and prints are housed in Box 8. The numbering system is the same
as for the materials in Series 1 described above although the information is not as consistently
complete.

These are arranged by date using the numbering system described for Series 1.

Scope and Content Note

There are no prints or contact print sheets. Most of these negatives show signs of mildew. They have been
kept in original sleeves and isolated for mold. The majority of these are 6x6 mm. Some are 35mm and a few
are 4x5 in.

The envelopes that the materials were originally in and that were still present when the 2005-2006
processing effort began are in Boxes 11 and 12. The envelopes were assigned a number that corresponds to the
order in which they were processed. That order is maintained in the container list. However the envelopes
themselves are arranged by date, from earliest to latest.

Scope and Content Note

The envelopes had been emptied during the preliminary processing effort in 1999. The majority of the
envelopes relate to the materials in Series 1. The notes on these envelopes were transcribed during
processing and are included in the container list.

DVM's remarks: ("19," is written on the envelope before the date); Logging by
Georgia-Pacific Co. off their L-1-1 road during 1966-67. (Written on glassine strip:) Some of G-P's worst
logging on slopes at Bond Creek

Elam-McArthur Ridge from Bald Hills Rd. Cutting on McArthur side of ridge visible to park
line.

Neg. nos.: 9-11

Emerald Mile-Bridge Creek area from Bald Hills Rd. (meadow in foreground) virtually all trees in
photo not in park

91690805 : Roll 1
1969 August 05

Physical Description:
11.5 x 26.5 cm. (manila).

Scope and Content Note

Neg. nos.: 1-2

Elam Creek - recent cutting towards park near boundary

Neg. nos.: 3

Redwood Creek from over lower McArthur Creek – looking up canyon at east slope not in
park

Neg. nos.: 4-9

Elam-McArthur Ridge top (on McArthur slope) showing just completed cutting to the park
line

Neg. nos.: 10-11

Elam Creek logging detail near park

Note

DVM's remarks: Park boundary in photos as follows: 4 – top of photo at end of
cutting; 5-6 – upper left corner of photo (top of photo is top of Elam-McArthur Ridge); 7-8 – left edge of
photo; 9 – middle of photo

DVM's remarks: Down slope from Arco cut in forest; Shows: natural open area
there is sliding (possible on fault line - area where mineral soil is naturally exposed within forest;
Bill Schneider Oct 21, 1971. "3" [large, in center of envelope]; 8 [small in upper right corner]

DVM's remarks: Photo K is detail of the second block from left (June 14,
1974).

125740716 : Roll 1
J., K., L1974 July 16

Physical Description:
21.5 x 26.5 cm. (manila).

Scope and Content Note

Neg. nos.: 3

Note

DVM's remarks: Notes on back of photo J. which was taken July 16, 1974.

125760122 : Roll 12
J., K., L1976 January 22

Physical Description:
21.5 x 26.5 cm. (manila).

Scope and Content Note

Neg. nos.: 4

Note

DVM's remarks: Photo L is damage caused by excessive runoff into the Park. The
small stream channel was behind the people; it has been filled and all the debris in foreground is from
eroded portions of the small stream.

DVM's remarks: Shows: Road triggered slides. Erosion similar to what will
happen once logging is done in inner slopes of side stream to R.C. Two shots: best is #11. 3 [circled,
upper right]; 16 [in square, lower right]

Box 13 contains the slides that were stored in four carousels when the collection was donated. During
processing these divisions were maintained with the slides arranged in date order as they were rehoused in
archival quality slide sleeves.

Scope and Content Note

Public education was one of Mr. Van de Mark's reasons for taking the images and he (and others) gave
numerous public presentations in the 1960s and 1970s.

Because some slides were showing evidence of mold growth they were digitally scanned during processing in
2006. The scanning was done on a Nikon LS-2000 Slide Scanner or a UMAX PowerLook 2100XL Flatbed using
Photoshop 5.5 at both 300 and 900 dpi resolutions and saved as TIFF files. Dave Van de Mark had noticed mold
spots on the slides before they were transferred to RNP. At the time of processing the spots appear to be
stable and not growing. The digital files are on a dedicated archives server maintained by Redwood National
Park.

Box 14 holds the transcripts for the May 2006 and July 2006 interviews. The original and copy cassette
tapes for the 1999 and the May 2006 and the DVD for the July 2006 interview are stored with the other
Redwood National Park audio/visual materials.

The 1999 interview was conducted by James (Bow) O'Barr and Caroline McClurkan. The May 2006 interview was
conducted by James (Bow) O'Barr, Edie Butler and Drogheda (Dao) NiFaolain. The July 2006 interview was
conducted by Drogheda (Dao) NiFaolain and recorded in mp3 format.

The two 2006 interviews took place after much of the final processing had been completed by archives
assistant Drogheda NiFaolain. These interviews with Mr. Van de Mark were aimed at documenting additional
background information about Van de Mark's activism and as well as gathering details about specific images.